We got through a very crazy month for the Traverse City Board Gamers group. This month we had quite a few birthdays to celebrate with dedicated game nights and also the annual Ticket to Ride Tournament as well. This was definitely a month that I learned the true value of planning and promotion. One of which I believe we did well and the other I feel was faltered a bit.
In the aspect of planning, we accomplished a lot in preparation for the event itself with several donations from Right Brain Brewery which was also hosting the event. The time change made a real challenge for lighting as Right Brain Brewery is not the greatest for lighting. We were able to effectively light each table with desk lamps and floor standing lights which worked quite well. The cup holders were a great addition from last year that helped to keep the games all beer and drink free. We also had plenty of copies of the game to facilitate all players that participated. The final count for the evening was 16 players in the tournament with every participants walking away with several prizes from the prize vault which had been accumulated since early summer. I would mark this as a success once again and look forward to the possibilities next year.
The aspects of the tournament that I was not quite as satisfied with was the promotion of the event. I never got around to printing up flyers or promote the event beyond Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. I need to start going back to the traditional methods of promotion I did see 3 new faces that I haven’t seen at our normal game nights which was fantastic but I believe we can do better. This will be something that I will put more focus on in the future and less on the prizes themselves. I feel that with that method going forward will build a following from year to year and allow it to be more self sustaining.
Our regular game nights have also benefited from the innovations of the tournament as well. We will be using the lighting as a tool moving forward with game night and are always looking to enhance the functionality of our weekly event at Right Brain Brewery. Another tool that I’m interested in implementing would be something for scheduling game sessions during our game nights. I would like a more fluid feel to the games being played and less apprehension about picking the games to play. Everyone seems forgetful about requesting games to be brought and have to pick from the games that I have selected. I do concede that I do have the tendency to bring the things that I want to play and less the games I know everyone knows how to play. I feel if we had a system to make requests and schedule who they want to play with then we can solve many stagnation issues that seem to emerge.
That is enough chatting about the month and lets look at the number save these last few words about the numbers. I included the data from the Ticket to Ride Tournament which may have skewed the data slightly. The tournament accounted from 8 total plays of Ticket to Ride at 2 plays per person. Any plays beyond that is extra plays which I noticed was mostly practice for the event. Enjoy!
Steve, Ramon, Amanda S, and Eric H (clockwise starting from the left) playing “Above and Below”
Statistics for November 2016
Total Plays – 65
Number of Different Games Played – 29
Number of New Games Played – 9
Most Played Game (with tournament plays) – Ticket to Ride
Most Played Game (Without Tournament Plays) – Jaipur
Number of Prizes Handed out in the Ticket to Ride Tournament – 37
Batman Love Letter
Games Played in November 2016
Blood Rage Miniatures via Prisma App
Player | Abigail |
Gamer Level | 2 |
Plays | 3 |
Change of Plays from October | +1 |
Most Played Game | Ticket to Ride |
Nemesis (Player lost to the Most) | Sophia, Eric H, and Julie |
Achievement Pins Gained in November | 0 |
Total Pins Attained | 1 |
Play testing Brix at our Friendly Localish Game Store in Suttons Bay, Michigan called Brain Storm
Player | Adam |
Gamer Level | 3 |
Plays | 2 |
Change of Plays from October | +2 |
Most Played Game | Legendary: A Marvel Deck Building Game |
Nemesis (Player lost to the Most) | Amanda S. and Jessica |
Achievement Pins Gained in November | 0 |
Total Pins Attained | 2 |
“Euphoria” from Stonemaier Games
Player | Amanda M. |
Gamer Level | 1 |
Plays | 2 |
Change of Plays from October | +2 |
Most Played Game | Ticket to Ride |
Nemesis (Player lost to the Most) | Ramon |
Achievement Pins Gained in November | 0 |
Total Pins Attained | 0 |
Brain Storm in Suttons Bay, Michigan
Player | Amanda S. |
Gamer Level | 11 |
Plays | 25 |
Change of Plays from October | +13 |
Most Played Game | Discoveries |
Nemesis (Player lost to the Most) | Sophia and Kyle |
Achievement Pins Gained in November | 0 |
Total Pins Attained | 9 |
Game Night is about to get started
Player | Amy |
Gamer Level | 2 |
Plays | 9 |
Change of Plays from October | +5 |
Most Played Game | Splendor |
Nemesis (Player lost to the Most) | Ramon |
Achievement Pins Gained in November | 0 |
Total Pins Attained | 0 |
Steve, Amanda S, Adam, Jessica, and Eric H (clockwise from the left) playing “Isle of Skye”
Player | Andrew |
Gamer Level | 10 |
Plays | 14 |
Change of Plays from October | -4 |
Most Played Game | Ticket to Ride |
Nemesis (Player lost to the Most) | Ramon |
Achievement Pins Gained in November | 1 |
Total Pins Attained | 7 |
“Karuba” from HABA
Player | Candis |
Gamer Level | 5 |
Plays | 3 |
Change of Plays from October | -9 |
Most Played Game | Potion Explosion |
Nemesis (Player lost to the Most) | Jordan and Kyle |
Achievement Pins Gained in November | 0 |
Total Pins Attained | 0 |
Sophia, Adam, and Jessica (clockwise from the left) playing “Legendary: A Marvel Deckbuilder”
Player | Caroline |
Gamer Level | 6 |
Plays | 2 |
Change of Plays from October | +2 |
Most Played Game | Ticket to Ride |
Nemesis (Player lost to the Most) | Paul and Kate G |
Achievement Pins Gained in November | 0 |
Total Pins Attained | 1 |
“Origin” from Matagot
Player | Drew |
Gamer Level | 1 |
Plays | 2 |
Change of Plays from October | +2 |
Most Played Game | Above and Below |
Nemesis (Player lost to the Most) | Andrew |
Achievement Pins Gained in November | 0 |
Total Pins Attained | 0 |
Esther (left) and Ramon (right) playing “Orleans”
Player | Eric B |
Gamer Level | 7 |
Plays | 8 |
Change of Plays from October | -2 |
Most Played Game | No Thanks |
Nemesis (Player lost to the Most) | Amanda S |
Achievement Pins Gained in November | 0 |
Total Pins Attained | 1 |
“Euphoria” art via Prisma App
Player | Eric H |
Gamer Level | 7 |
Plays | 8 |
Change of Plays from October | -13 |
Most Played Game | Ticket To Ride |
Nemesis (Player lost to the Most) | Kate H, Terry, and Amanda S |
Achievement Pins Gained in November | 0 |
Total Pins Attained | 0 |
“Pandemic: The Cure” from Z-Man Games
Player | Esther |
Gamer Level | 25 |
Plays | 19 |
Change of Plays from October | -5 |
Most Played Game | Ticket To Ride |
Nemesis (Player lost to the Most) | Kyle |
Achievement Pins Gained in November | 2 |
Total Pins Attained | 25 |
Cyrus and “Orleans” via Prisma App
Player | Greg |
Gamer Level | 5 |
Plays | 2 |
Change of Plays from October | +2 |
Most Played Game | Ticket to Ride |
Nemesis (Player lost to the Most) | Paul and Kate G |
Achievement Pins Gained in November | 0 |
Total Pins Attained | 1 |
“Patchwork” via Prisma App
Player | Jessica |
Gamer Level | 10 |
Plays | 11 |
Change of Plays from October | -1 |
Most Played Game | Ticket to Ride |
Nemesis (Player lost to the Most) | Amanda S |
Achievement Pins Gained in November | 0 |
Total Pins Attained | 8 |
Assorted prizes from the Ticket to Ride Tournament 2016
Player | Joe |
Gamer Level | 1 |
Plays | 1 |
Change of Plays from October | -2 |
Most Played Game | The Pursuit of Happiness |
Nemesis (Player lost to the Most) | Ramon |
Achievement Pins Gained in November | 0 |
Total Pins Attained | 0 |
“Treasure Chest” resources from Stonemaier Games
Player | Jordan |
Gamer Level | 3 |
Plays | 3 |
Change of Plays from October | -10 |
Most Played Game | Potion Explosion |
Nemesis (Player lost to the Most) | Kyle |
Achievement Pins Gained in November | 0 |
Total Pins Attained | 0 |
Andrew, Ramon, Joe, and Amy (bottom left moving clockwise) playing “The Pursuit of Happiness”
Player | Julie |
Gamer Level | 1 |
Plays | 2 |
Change of Plays from October | +2 |
Most Played Game | Ticket to Ride |
Nemesis (Player lost to the Most) | Amanda M |
Achievement Pins Gained in November | 0 |
Total Pins Attained | 0 |
“Phoenix: Dawn Command” at the War Room
Player | Kate G |
Gamer Level | 1 |
Plays | 2 |
Change of Plays from October | +1 |
Most Played Game | Ticket to Ride |
Nemesis (Player lost to the Most) | Ramon |
Achievement Pins Gained in November | 0 |
Total Pins Attained | 0 |
Durant Class in “Phoenix: Dawn Command”
Player | Kate H |
Gamer Level | 6 |
Plays | 9 |
Change of Plays from October | -1 |
Most Played Game | Ticket to Ride |
Nemesis (Player lost to the Most) | Sophia |
Achievement Pins Gained in November | 2 |
Total Pins Attained | 3 |
“Scythe” from Stonemaier Games
Player | Kenz |
Gamer Level | 6 |
Plays | 3 |
Change of Plays from October | +3 |
Most Played Game | Karuba |
Nemesis (Player lost to the Most) | Kyle |
Achievement Pins Gained in November | 0 |
Total Pins Attained | 1 |
Assorted prizes from the Ticket to Ride Tournament 2016
Player | Kyle |
Gamer Level | 34 |
Plays | 27 |
Change of Plays from October | -3 |
Most Played Game | Karuba |
Nemesis (Player lost to the Most) | Esther |
Achievement Pins Gained in November | NA |
Total Pins Attained | NA |
Eric H (left) and Esther (right) playing “Seafall”
Player | Matt |
Gamer Level | 3 |
Plays | 3 |
Change of Plays from October | -10 |
Most Played Game | Potion Explosion |
Nemesis (Player lost to the Most) | Jordan and Kyle |
Achievement Pins Gained in November | 0 |
Total Pins Attained | 0 |
“Stone Age” via Prisma App
Player | Melissa |
Gamer Level | 1 |
Plays | 2 |
Change of Plays from October | +2 |
Most Played Game | Ticket to Ride |
Nemesis (Player lost to the Most) | Amanda M. and Julie |
Achievement Pins Gained in November | 0 |
Total Pins Attained | 0 |
Sophia (left) and Steve (right) playing “Splendor”
Player | Paul |
Gamer Level | 1 |
Plays | 2 |
Change of Plays from October | +2 |
Most Played Game | Ticket to Ride |
Nemesis (Player lost to the Most) | Ramon |
Achievement Pins Gained in November | 0 |
Total Pins Attained | 0 |
Kate G, Ramon, Kate H, and Esther (top left moving clockwise) playing in the Ticket to Ride Tournament 2016
Player | Ramon |
Gamer Level | 13 |
Plays | 13 |
Change of Plays from October | +4 |
Most Played Game | Ticket to Ride |
Nemesis (Player lost to the Most) | Amanda S |
Achievement Pins Gained in November | 2 |
Total Pins Attained | 8 |
Steve, Eric H, and Sophia (top left moving clockwise) playing in the Ticket to Ride Tournament 2016
Player | Russel A |
Gamer Level | 1 |
Plays | 4 |
Change of Plays from October | +4 |
Most Played Game | Seafall |
Nemesis (Player lost to the Most) | Kyle, Andrew, and Terry |
Achievement Pins Gained in November | 0 |
Total Pins Attained | 0 |
Amanda M, Melissa, and Andrew (top left moving clockwise) playing in the Ticket to Ride Tournament 2016
Player | Sophia |
Gamer Level | 10 |
Plays | 17 |
Change of Plays from October | +11 |
Most Played Game | Splendor |
Nemesis (Player lost to the Most) | Amanda S. and Kyle |
Achievement Pins Gained in November | 0 |
Total Pins Attained | 6 |
Greg (left) and Paul (right) playing in the Ticket to Ride Tournament 2016
Player | Steve |
Gamer Level | 1 |
Plays | 5 |
Change of Plays from October | +3 |
Most Played Game | Ticket to Ride |
Nemesis (Player lost to the Most) | Amanda S |
Achievement Pins Gained in November | 0 |
Total Pins Attained | 0 |
Ticket to Ride Tournament 2016 at Right Brain Brewery in Traverse City, Michigan
Player | Terry |
Gamer Level | 1 |
Plays | 5 |
Change of Plays from October | +5 |
Most Played Game | Seafall |
Nemesis (Player lost to the Most) | Ramon and Jordan |
Achievement Pins Gained in November | 0 |
Total Pins Attained | 0 |
Jason F (left) and Esther (right) playing “Stone Age”
Player | Jason F |
Gamer Level | 1 |
Plays | 2 |
Change of Plays from October | +2 |
Most Played Game | Stone Age |
Nemesis (Player lost to the Most) | Esther |
Achievement Pins Gained in November | 0 |
Total Pins Attained | 0 |
Assorted prizes from the Ticket to Ride Tournament 2016
Hopefully we will see you at Right Brain Brewery every Sunday in the month of December as we wrap up 2016 with some great gaming and friends. Hopefully we will have some new surprises and fun. Next month will be a much different statistics than our typical post. I’ll be putting together a year in review statistical analysis. This will be massive and very interesting so stay posted.
Happy Gaming!
Eric H with future Traverse City Board Gamer Windsor